Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

• acid was administered, had levels of bioluminescence 11-fold higher than the colon tissue of mice that received mRNA alone. This was suggested to be caused by US-induced cavitation, creating transient pores in the plasma membrane which facilitated the cellular diffusion of macromolecules [87]. In

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of water in aqueous dispersions of silver nanoparticles

• Paulina Filipczak,
• Krzysztof Hałagan,
• Jacek Ulański and
• Marcin Kozanecki

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 497–506, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.40

• by the changes in the Raman spectra of water. Two types of agents can be distinguished: destructive agents (e.g., most ions, temperature, polar molecules) and structure-ordering agents (e.g., apolar molecules, biological macromolecules, or hydrophobic surfaces [19]). The intensity of the OH

Transient coating of γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles with glutamate for its delivery to and removal from brain nerve terminals

• Konstantin Paliienko,
• Artem Pastukhov,
• Michal Babič,
• Daniel Horák,
• Olga Vasylchenko and
• Tatiana Borisova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1381–1393, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.122

• ]. It is well-known that upon entrance into biological systems nanoparticles interact with macromolecules of physiological fluids and tissues forming a biocorona at the surface. Macromolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, become associated with different types of nanoparticles. The

A 3D-polyphenylalanine network inside porous alumina: Synthesis and characterization of an inorganic–organic composite membrane

• Jonathan Stott and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 938–951, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.78

• have attracted significant attention in the last decades. Due their secondary structures (α-helix or β-sheet), polypeptides form macromolecular block segments, which can undergo a self-assembly process under certain circumstances [24][25]. The intramolecular interactions between these macromolecules as

Multilayer capsules made of weak polyelectrolytes: a review on the preparation, functionalization and applications in drug delivery

• Varsha Sharma and
• Anandhakumar Sundaramurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 508–532, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.41

• developed by Iller [2] and Decher et al. [3], but it was brought into the limelight by systematic and extensive research by various research groups. The encapsulation of various macromolecules inside the hollow capsules was carried out by adjusting the physiochemical properties of the polymers in order to

• ., covalent and noncovalent) between the PEs used for capsule fabrication and their nature. The multilayers showcase selective permeability by being permeable to low molecular weight compounds while impermeable to larger macromolecules [9]. The size of multilayered hollow capsules can be easily controlled by

• capsules from high osmotic pressure and for encapsulation of macromolecules [32]. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) cores have been widely used with many combinations of weak PEs to fabricate hollow capsules as in case of PAH/PMA capsules, Figure 2e [29]. More recently, hybrid CaCO3 templates built in with other

Interactions at the cell membrane and pathways of internalization of nano-sized materials for nanomedicine

• Valentina Francia,
• Daphne Montizaan and
• Anna Salvati

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 338–353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.25

• nanomedicines, can end up in compartments other than the lysosomes. For example, in several reports it appears that nanoparticles can be transcytosed across endothelial cells [178][179]. However, the existence of a dedicated pathway, such as caveolae-mediated endocytosis, for transcytosis of macromolecules is

Rational design of block copolymer self-assemblies in photodynamic therapy

• Maxime Demazeau,
• Laure Gibot,
• Anne-Françoise Mingotaud,
• Patricia Vicendo,
• Clément Roux and
• Barbara Lonetti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 180–212, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.15

• of the key features of PEO is to provide (steric) stabilization by excluding other macromolecules and particles due to the high flexibility and large exclusion volume of PEO strands in water. This imparts biocompatibility and prolonged circulation time to the objects by minimizing the adsorption of

Internalization mechanisms of cell-penetrating peptides

• Ivana Ruseska and
• Andreas Zimmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 101–123, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.10

• a major breakthrough for the transport of macromolecules. They have been shown to successfully deliver proteins, peptides, siRNAs and pDNA in different cell types. In general, CPPs are basic peptides with a positive charge at physiological pH. They are able to translocate membranes and gain entry to

• function. As a barrier, it only allows the transport of compounds with small molecular size, which can be transported using channels and specific carriers [1][2]. Macromolecules, however, are unable to use these modes of entry [2]. The production of novel therapeutic molecules, which do not adhere to the

• shown to cause cytotoxic effects, and when it comes to viral vectors, a high probability of viral gene insertion into the host genome exists [6]. Therefore, the delivery strategy for macromolecules is still left as an unanswered question. In the best case scenario, an efficient delivery system would

The different ways to chitosan/hyaluronic acid nanoparticles: templated vs direct complexation. Influence of particle preparation on morphology, cell uptake and silencing efficiency

• Arianna Gennari,
• Julio M. Rios de la Rosa,
• Erwin Hohn,
• Maria Pelliccia,
• Enrique Lallana,
• Roberto Donno,
• Annalisa Tirella and
• Nicola Tirelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2594–2608, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.250

• macromolecules). In the light of the TPP–HA exchange, this interpretation must be revised: the same factor (better packing of Chit35) increases the chitosan concentration in the bulk of the templating particles, potentially leading to a tighter HA complexation in the bulk, but also to a reduced surface charge

pH-Controlled fluorescence switching in water-dispersed polymer brushes grafted to modified boron nitride nanotubes for cellular imaging

• Saban Kalay,
• Yurij Stetsyshyn,
• Volodymyr Donchak,
• Khrystyna Harhay,
• Ostap Lishchynskyi,
• Halyna Ohar,
• Yuriy Panchenko,
• Stanislav Voronov and
• Mustafa Çulha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2428–2439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.233

• percent. In contrast, P(AA-co-FA)-functionalized BNNTs demonstrate substantial mass loss that is nearly 60%. P(AA-co-FA)-functionalized BNNTs exhibit a middle thermal stability around 180 °C and drastic degradation from 180 to 550 °C. A low concentration of the oligoperoxide macromolecules covalently

• grafted to BNNTs suggests that not all oligoperoxide macromolecules covalently bound and some remain electrostatically attached to the nanotube surface and are washed off during the functionalization procedure. It also suggests that P(AA-co-FA)-grafted brushes grow vertically from the surface of the BNNTs

• aggregation of poly(acrylic acid) due to hydrophobic interactions was shown [54]. At neutral or basic pH, the hydrodynamic diameter of the poly(acrylic acid) macromolecules was significantly decreased, indicating the disruption of intermolecular aggregates [54]. Cellular imaging using P(AA-co-FA

Design of a nanostructured mucoadhesive system containing curcumin for buccal application: from physicochemical to biological aspects

• Sabrina Barbosa de Souza Ferreira,
• Gustavo Braga,
• Évelin Lemos Oliveira,
• Jéssica Bassi da Silva,
• Hélen Cássia Rosseto,
• Lidiane Vizioli de Castro Hoshino,
• Mauro Luciano Baesso,
• Wilker Caetano,
• Craig Murdoch,
• Helen Elizabeth Colley and
• Marcos Luciano Bruschi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2304–2328, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.222

• emission is highly polarized (approximately or equal to one), the molecules will not rotate between absorption and emission, which would suggest that they are associated with macromolecules. Therefore, the emission of polarization is described as anisotropy [48][49]. Furthermore, this measurement can be

• used to characterize specific or nonspecific linking as it is dependent on the fraction of fluorescent solute interacting with macromolecules or on the rigidity of the formed complex [48]. Anisotropy values close to zero are related to depolarized emission and intense molecule rotation [49

Mannosylated brush copolymers based on poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(ε-caprolactone) as multivalent lectin-binding nanomaterials

• Stefania Ordanini,
• Wanda Celentano,
• Anna Bernardi and
• Francesco Cellesi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2192–2206, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.212

• polymerizations provided high control over molecular weight and functionality. A post-polymerization azide–alkyne cycloaddition allowed for the formation of glycopolymers with different mannose valencies (1, 2, 4, and 8). In aqueous media, these macromolecules formed nanoparticles that were able to bind lectins

• ]. In addition, the high surface area of spherical self-assembled structures can confer glycopolymers a high affinity towards lectins [18]. Among different synthetic macromolecules used in biomedical applications, copolymers based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) are found

• targeted, in order to obtain macromolecules of different valencies, while maintaining relatively short and flexible polymer chains, which minimize steric hindrance during lectin binding. Different percentages of PEG and PCL macromonomers were used, since the number of PCL side chains defined the final

Biocatalytic oligomerization-induced self-assembly of crystalline cellulose oligomers into nanoribbon networks assisted by organic solvents

• Yuuki Hata,
• Yuka Fukaya,
• Toshiki Sawada,
• Masahito Nishiura and
• Takeshi Serizawa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1778–1788, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.173

• network formation via oligomerization-induced self-assembly under macromolecular crowding conditions [43][44], which represent a solution state with high macromolecular concentrations [55][56][57]. The crowding macromolecules with high molecular weights (typically more than 20k) induced high solution

Mechanism of silica–lysozyme composite formation unravelled by in situ fast SAXS

• Tomasz M. Stawski,
• Daniela B. van den Heuvel,
• Rogier Besselink,
• Dominique J. Tobler and
• Liane G. Benning

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 182–197, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.17

• of protein-sensitized biomedical devices and sensors [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In a broader perspective, many processes involving the assembly of nanoparticles to higher-level hierarchical structures are known to be directed by small organic molecules and macromolecules [7][8][9][10]. Such fundamental

Targeting strategies for improving the efficacy of nanomedicine in oncology

• Gonzalo Villaverde and
• Alejandro Baeza

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 168–181, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.16

• transport drugs that exhibit very different nature such as lipophilic or hydrophilic drugs and big macromolecules as proteins or RNA. Moreover, the external surface of these carriers can be decorated with different moieties with high affinity for specific membrane receptors of the tumoral cells to direct

• moieties on the particle surface [1][18]. These targeting moieties are molecules or macromolecules that bind to specific receptors located on the surface of the tumoral cells. In many cases, these cellular receptors are also present in healthy cells, e.g., for the widely employed targeting moieties folic

• systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) [37]. Through this technique it is possible to obtain oligonucleotide sequences selective for many different membrane proteins. These macromolecules have been widely employed both alone and conjugated with drugs or nanoparticles [38]. Aptamers

Colloidal chemistry with patchy silica nanoparticles

• Pierre-Etienne Rouet,
• Cyril Chomette,
• Laurent Adumeau,
• Etienne Duguet and
• Serge Ravaine

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2989–2998, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.278

• dimethylformamide (DMF) as it is a good solvent for the aminated PS macromolecules and thus favors their extension towards the external medium, which should optimize the formation of amide bonds with the carboxylated silica satellites. At this stage, any residual water must be carefully removed to avoid the

• three cycles of centrifugation (10,000g; 10 min) and redispersion in THF. Amination of the residual PS macromolecules at the bottom of the dimples We used a recipe already reported [21]. Briefly, after transferring the as-prepared dimpled silica particles in chloroform, we added butyl chloromethyl ether

Layered calcium phenylphosphonate: a hybrid material for a new generation of nanofillers

• Kateřina Kopecká,
• Ludvík Beneš,
• Klára Melánová,
• Vítězslav Zima,
• Petr Knotek and
• Kateřina Zetková

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2906–2915, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.269

• weight copolymer, increases the basal spacing of CaPhP by 0.3 Å (CaPhP_BYK). On the contrary, the macromolecules of the epoxy resin alone do not cause enlargement of the basal spacing (CaPhP_epox). The values of the basal spacing are summarized in Table 1. The observed changes of the basal spacing in

• CaPhP_Jeff and CaPhP_BYK are small and most probably cannot be explained by penetration of the long-chain macromolecules of Jeffamines or BYK 9076 into the structure, as it was observed for short alkylamines in the previous studies [19][20]. More likely the macromolecules surround the particles and the

Block copolymers for designing nanostructured porous coatings

• Roberto Nisticò

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2332–2344, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.218

• copolymers (BCs) are macromolecules consisting of two (or more) immiscible homopolymer chains covalently linked together. Mesoscale nanostructures can be obtained due to the thermodynamic incompatibility of the blocks, which induce microphase separation via self-assembly, in order to minimize the contact

• -assembly of BCs represents an exceptional strategy for inducing well-ordered and regular porosity in polymeric structures. As already mentioned in the Introduction, BCs are macromolecules made of two (or more) blocks (i.e., series of monomeric units) of homopolymer chains, thermodynamically incompatible

Nanocomposites comprised of homogeneously dispersed magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles and poly(methyl methacrylate)

• Sašo Gyergyek,
• David Pahovnik,
• Ema Žagar,
• Alenka Mertelj,
• Rok Kostanjšek,
• Miloš Beković,
• Marko Jagodič,
• Heinrich Hofmann and
• Darko Makovec

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1613–1622, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.153

• by the concentration of macromolecules and the second-order virial coefficient. The colloidal stability of NP-PMMA in the polymer solution is clearly related to the presence of the polymer chains that are strongly bonded to the surface of the NP-PMMA. The origin of the stabilization is beyond of the

Preparation and morphology-dependent wettability of porous alumina membranes

• Dmitry L. Shimanovich,
• Alla I. Vorobjova,
• Daria I. Tishkevich,
• Alex V. Trukhanov,
• Maxim V. Zdorovets and
• Artem L. Kozlovskiy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1423–1436, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.135

• biotechnological and medical development. Some applications include the separation of organic macromolecules and proteins (bio-filtration), their use in biosensor devices and capsule drug delivery systems, use for coating implants, and as a matrix for the formation of biocompatible tissues [19][20][21][22

Nanoporous silicon nitride-based membranes of controlled pore size, shape and areal density: Fabrication as well as electrophoretic and molecular filtering characterization

• Axel Seidenstücker,
• Stefan Beirle,
• Fabian Enderle,
• Paul Ziemann,
• Othmar Marti and
• Alfred Plettl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1390–1398, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.131

• presented measurements of membranes with millions of pores. Permselectivity studies by fluorescence microscopy The main potential of nanoporous membranes will be the sieving of macromolecules in aqueous solution, especially for medical and biological use and even on an industrial scale [15][42][43

• ]. Selectivity and molecular cut-off depend strongly on pore size and the narrowness of its distribution. Studies of the molecular filtering properties were conducted by real-time fluorescence microscopy. Thus, the diffusion of fluorescent molecules or fluorescent-labeled macromolecules could be observed time

Optical orientation of nematic liquid crystal droplets via photoisomerization of an azodendrimer dopant

• Sergey A. Shvetsov,
• Alexander V. Emelyanenko,
• Natalia I. Boiko,
• Alexander S. Zolot'ko,
• Yan-Song Zhang,
• Jui-Hsiang Liu and
• Alexei R. Khokhlov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 870–879, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.81

• , Taiwan 10.3762/bjnano.9.81 Abstract Two sequential transformations of the orientational structure in nematic liquid crystal droplets containing a dendrimer additive (nanosized macromolecules with light-absorbing azobenzene terminal moieties) under light irradiation in the UV–blue spectral range were

• interaction. In contrast, the formation of bend cis isomers significantly reduces the excluded volume of the macromolecule and disturbs the arrangement of the terminal moieties. Considering NLC droplets, we can suggest that a layer of the adsorbed dendrimer macromolecules at the NLC–glycerol interface works

Noble metal-modified titania with visible-light activity for the decomposition of microorganisms

• Maya Endo,
• Zhishun Wei,
• Kunlei Wang,
• Baris Karabiyik,
• Kenta Yoshiiri,
• Paulina Rokicka,
• Bunsho Ohtani,
• Agata Markowska-Szczupak and
• Ewa Kowalska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 829–841, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.77

• nourishment for mould fungi is probably caused by sorption of macromolecules (e.g., proteins and sugars) on titania, as suggested by Raffaini and Ganzoli [77] and Ellingsen [78]. On the other hand, our previous study showed that Au-modified faceted titania was inactive against C. albicans, in contrast to the

Optimisation of purification techniques for the preparation of large-volume aqueous solar nanoparticle inks for organic photovoltaics

• Furqan Almyahi,
• Thomas R. Andersen,
• Nathan A. Cooling,
• Natalie P. Holmes,
• Matthew J. Griffith,
• Krishna Feron,
• Xiaojing Zhou,
• Warwick J. Belcher and
• Paul C. Dastoor

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 649–659, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.60

• state of the art large scale OPV, the organic materials (polymers, fullerene or other macromolecules) comprising the active layer are dissolved in organic solvents, i.e., chloroform or chlorobenzene [5]. The application of these solvents can be an issue for the large-scale production of OPV due to their

• do have advantages such as ease of process primarily due to much easier removal, they all remain human and environmental exposure limits and are flammable. Currently, it is difficult to synthesise water-soluble semiconducting macromolecules suitable for OPV active layers [7]. Therefore, two methods

• have been developed for transferring currently utilized semiconducting macromolecules into green solvents: Method 1: The reprecipitation method, herein the semiconductive materials are dissolved in organic solvent which is added to a vigorously stirring alcohol causing the semiconductive materials to

Preparation and characterization of polycarbonate/multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposites

• Claudio Larosa,
• Niranjan Patra,
• Marco Salerno,
• Lara Mikac,
• Remo Merijs Meri and
• Mile Ivanda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2026–2031, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.203

• , an endothermic peak followed by a shoulder with the enthalpy heat of fusion (27 J/g) is observed at 224.4 °C. This might be due to the possible ordered structure or segmental chain mobility of PC macromolecules changed due to the interaction of the MWCNTs. The lack of a cold crystallization peak